The Last Farmers Market or what am I going to do for the next seven months.

I know I haven't posted for some time and I have been to the farmers market almost every week this summer. My wife and I even one Saturday went over to the Beaverton farmers market, a big mistake. It's like taking Ma and Pa Kettle and putting them in the middle of Times Square and telling them to get to Soho. That's what we felt like, it was a sensory overload. I like the Forest Grove market, it grew on me this year and it seemed to grow as well. So much for my attempt at a play on words, but when you are used to a small market and go to a large market it throws you off, or me at least.

The real reason for this post is to talk about eggplant. Yes glorious eggplant, that fleshy fruit/vegetable/night shade that most people out here I talk to have no idea what it is or how to cook it. I will share some of my favorite recipes with you, feel free to use, adapt or let me know if you have your own. I didn't grow any this year so I had to depend on what I could find at the market. I was not disappointed.

There are various types of eggplant, I will focus on the common purple as you see here in the blog. Obviously look for one that is smooth and purple, when it turns brown it will taste bitter. I keep the skin one when I cook it since I believe it adds more flavor and possibly vitamins. Don't believe the myth of salting eggplant, it doesn't remove any bitter taste but it will make it salty. Avoiding bitter eggplant is accomplished by carefully looking over the eggplant and knowing from whom you are buying it from. The recipes I will list range from easy, moderate and challenging. All are worth it.

Easy
Eggplant Caviar
1 Eggplant
1 to 2 cloves of Garlic
Olive Oil
Lemon Juice
Salt and Pepper to taste

Split the eggplant from top to bottom, not across the middle. Rub with olive oil and put on a sheet pan and place in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Test by poking a knife into it, it should go in with no resistance. Remove from the oven and cool down, cut off top green part (be careful of the thorns, trust me). Cut into crude chunks and put inside a blender or food processor. Add garlic and drizzle in olive oil into the mixture becomes blended. Add a drop of lemon juice and salt and pepper for flavor. Serve as a dip or spread on bread for a great sandwich.

Moderate
Eggplant Salad
1 Eggplant
1 to 2 cloves of Garlic
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Lemon Juice
Dried Italian Seasonings
6 oz can of Tomato Paste

Split the eggplant from top to bottom, not across the middle. Rub with olive oil and put on a sheet pan and place in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Test by poking a knife into it, it should go in with no resistance. Remove from the oven and cool down, cut off top green part (be careful of the thorns, trust me, sound familiar?) Cut into small square chunks and place into a bowl. Mince the garlic and add to eggplant. Add the can of tomato paste, sprinkle in the balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and Italian seasonings (basil, oregano, parsley, etc). Stir and chill for one hour, serve as a dip or as a side dish. It even makes a good sandwich, messy but good.

Challenging
Eggplant Parmesan
2 Eggplants
1 Onion
1 Bell Pepper
4 to 5 cloves of Garlic
6 to 8 Mushrooms
Olive Oil
28 oz can of Tomato Sauce
Breadcrumbs
1 lb Mozzarella Cheese
Italian Seasonings
2 Eggs
Mustard

(I make my own sauce because it tastes better. If you plan on using a jar skip this portion.) Saute the onion, pepper, garlic and mushrooms in olive oil until tender, add tomato sauce, Italian seasonings and simmer. (OK, start paying attention again) Slice the eggplant into even rings, about a 1/4 of an inch, not too thick but not too thin that they will fall apart. Mix the eggs with mustard and a bit of water. Take the eggplant rings and dip into the egg mixture and then coat with the breadcrumbs, place aside to allow the coating to stick. Heat up a frying pan and saute until golden brown. Shred the mozzarella cheese. Layer in a large pan or Pyrex dish sauce on the bottom, eggplant, sauce, cheese, eggplant, sauce, cheese, and so on until all of the eggplant is layered. Save a fair amount of the cheese for the top for presentation purposes. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.

I started to buy my eggs at the farmers market as well. I found out that the eggs that you get from free range chickens have less cholesterol, something that I need to keep in check. Granted they do cost $4 a dozen, but you get them the day they were laid which means they are very fresh, will last longer, and really do taste better. I'm getting my eggs from the L-Bar-T bison ranch, they sell them at their ranch on Highway 47.

Found a good recipe for zucchini, besides substituting it for eggplant in my eggplant parmigiana recipe, a zucchini cheese bread using this recipe, but making a few changes. First I added mustard to my eggs for more flavor, added granulated garlic and found that it works best in two bread pans. Try changing around the cheeses as well. My wife said it tasted good, but still won't eat it. She claims she just doesn't like zucchini. I'll grow it if I can find a good way to cook it. Seems like having a savory bread might just work.

It was a good year at the farmers market and hopefully next year I won't be buying as much since I plan on growing it myself. I will have additional posts updating how my garden went and the fall crops I have planted. So with what I have canned and what I'll get this fall, I'm going to have to wait until next year, but it does give me something to look forward to.